Well, I can’t say I expected to go months without giving everyone an update, but life is what it is. Thankfully, things seem to be settling into a more stable rhythm and the writing is progressing nicely.

Shadows, Episode 5: Torture, the finale in the Bryan McAllister and Larien Russell character arcs, will become available on April 18, 2014. The book has caused me some grief and requires a bit more post-production work than previous episodes. It is, however, longer than the preceding episodes. We’ll see whether or not it becomes the longest as I plod through making tweaks here and there.

The cover art has been finalized for some time now and is available here.

Once Torture is available, I will be producing a Volume 1 hardcover edition of Shadows, which will contain books 1 through 5. This will likely be available sometime in Q4 2014 prior to the release of the next book in the series.

The untitled novel previously mentioned in my October update is also progressing, though it is quite a bit longer than the Shadows books and consequently takes more time to produce. I suspect it will be available sometime in Q3 or Q4 2014. Once I have final release dates, I will post them here.

I have updated the coming soon page with my current projections. Thanks to burnout from various life events that have taken place since October, Shadows #5 is still incomplete. I hope to use some of my holidays next week to get some writing done and hope to have it ready for mid-late January. I’m aiming for the 24th of January as a release date, but I will not state that with any finality until it’s a sure thing.

The book I thought would be ready for December has taken on a life of its own and has grown beyond its original outline (that happens sometimes). It is as yet unfinished. I have a lot of goals for the New Year and will keep you all posted. My apologies to everyone waiting for the next episode of Shadows. It will be out as soon as it is ready.

I am in the midst of proofing the print editions of Shadows episodes 1 through 4. There are a few minor changes that need to be made before I commit them, so I hope to have them out by early November.

Shadows, Episode 5 has been unfortunately delayed. This is turning into a rather unwelcome trend I’ve noticed. Between continuing education for my day job, staffing shortages, and other projects vying for my time and attention (it’s always fun to work on things that are fresh and new), I’ve stretched myself a bit too thin and am in the midst of cleaning things up so I can better manage my time. I am still committed to producing the episode prior to the end of this year. I just can’t be certain precisely when that will be.

I currently have an untitled novel in the works, which I hope to have finished and ready for polishing and proofing some time in November to early December. Depending on how well that project turns out, it will arrive online sometime late this year or early next year. There will be at least two episodes of Shadows next year, hopefully kicking up the length a little bit from the novella format they have had thus far. There are a lot of characters in this universe, and all of their stories tie together somehow. With Episode 5, the Bryan McAllister and Larien Russell storylines will conclude with answers to both of their origins. This will make room for other characters to take the spotlight. Just because I switch the focus, does not mean that the previously focal characters will disappear.

Shadows of a Distant Past will appear next year, along with a series related to both Shadows and Shadows of a Distant Past, titled The Order. The sequel to Shadows of a Distant Past, currently titled The Lightbringer will arrive either late 2014 or early 2015 to coincide with the conclusion of The Order.

Shadows, Episode 4: i am anna is now available electronically on Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Nook UK, and Smashwords. It should be available on Apple within the next 7-10 days and will likely appear on Sony around that time as well.

Unfortunately, due to illness and other things beyond my control, the release of Shadows: i am anna has been delayed. It should hopefully be up electronically in the usual places within the next 2–3 days. With any luck, it might even get up towards the end of the 16th. The print releases of Shadows are also delayed until further notice, but I do hope to have them all up by mid-September. Hopefully life will accommodate my wishes.

The Legion Rises: Omnibus is now available in e-book and print. It can be purchased through Amazon, Kobo, and Smashwords at present. It should be available through Barnes & Noble sometime in the next couple of days. The rest of the e-book markets will follow. Likewise, it will be available in print from Amazon.com sometime in the next week, but may take 6-8 weeks before it will be available through other print outlets. It is currently available for purchase on CreateSpace.

Shadows, Episode 4: i am anna, is slated for e-book release on August 16, 2013. This should coincide with the print releases of the first two episodes of Shadows, to be followed by the third and fourth by the end of August.

Shadows, Episode 5: Torture, is slated for an October e-book and print simultaneous release.

Over the next 5 days, I hope to have the new editions (updated covers, samples of further episodes, and new blurbs) of all books posted to the online retailers. Those distributed through Smashwords may take up to several weeks to update.

Unfortunately, due to too many projects requiring my attention (I’m notorious for spreading myself too thin and really should learn to organize my time more wisely) and then illness (which is still ongoing, unfortunately, but at least it’s manageable now), all of my projects have been pushed back. I had hoped to have The Legion Rises print edition out at the end of this month, but there’s simply no way to make that happen. I should be ordering the proof sometime this week, though, so barring no major errors, it should be out by mid-July.

The next episode of Shadows is now due out in July instead of this month (which is more or less over, at this point). Shadows of a Distant Past is delayed until August, most likely, though it will be sooner (i.e., July) if the cover is finished in the next couple of weeks. I still hope to get episode 5 of Shadows out in August, but it may be September or even October.

Speaking of the unforeseen from the last post regarding plans, for those unaware, we had massive flooding here in Calgary at the end of last week due to both local rainfall (53mm) and much rainfall upstream of our major rivers (200+mm).

Initial evacuations tore over 100,000 people from their communities, roughly half of which have been allowed to return to what is left of their homes. I know a few people whose buildings or homes are no longer liveable. Many older buildings affected by the flood have been condemned. Some buildings were taken off their foundations. The floodwaters uprooted trees. The downtown core is still flooded, C-Train tunnels included. Much of the city’s transit system are expecting delays to continue for weeks. Clean-up will be ongoing for the foreseeable future. My heart goes out to those affected, and I am infinitely grateful that I live far enough away from the affected areas.

Once again, I’ve updated the Coming Soon page with the new timelines. Hopefully the next updates I make to them will be with actual dates.

Barring no unforeseen events, Shadows, Episode 4: i am anna should arrive sometime in June along with print editions of The Legion Rises (omnibus and its e-book counterpart for those who want the three books in one set) and the first episode of Shadows. The new covers for Shadows, which can be previewed here, will debut at that time.

By the time Shadows, Episode 5: Torture arrives in August (tentatively), I hope to have all of the current episodes of Shadows in print.